Random Band #1

It's become a bit of a thing now.

I have been frequently stumbling across seemingly 'random' bands' lately. And by 'random', I mean unintentionally discovering bands via the internet who I had no previous knowledge of. Sometimes it's a bit like finding treasure in a haystack. (yes I'm aware that's a garbled metaphor) :)


The first I've decided to feature, in what looks to be a regular blog sub-genre, is this Australian band called The Rapids.

The Rapids.

This song 'The Phillip, The Hawk' has a pretty mellow indie flavour, unsurprisingly as they do label themselves as an Indie band. It has an interesting, spoken-type lyrical moment with repetitive lyrics that seem well thought out in terms of their placement within the song. It actually really aids the song, making it more memorable. For those of you that have heard of the band Switchfoot, there does seem to be a similar vibe vocally between Jamie Timony (vocalist of The Rapids) and Jon Foreman. And, according to my ears, they seem to wear a sprinkling of David Bowie.

The drumming in this track sounds really clean, and surprisingly isn't boring. And maybe it's just me, but i'm sure I heard some tambourine feature here! Very impressed by the creativity in that choice- this band definitely wins hipster points just for that!

Lyrically I found that there was an element of adventure coupled with frustration. I'm intrigued by whoever 'Phillip' is. Is he the hawk? Is he a personification of something? I'm so confused, but so curious! Here's a snippet of some of the lyrics:

"I swing through trees and fire escapes.."

"Buttoning down a shirt and staring in the mirror,

flying in circles and not getting any younger"

Having only just heard them today, I would like to look more into their lyrics. (I'm a big lyricist and poetry lover!) I would also like to know how long they've been writing together, because I feel like a lot of the songs i've heard of theirs have great potential musically. Whilst not a totally sold-out indie chick, I do appreciate nearly all genres of music, so, whilst part of me did want there to be a mash-up-dubstep-remix-hard-rock build, I still think (as a musician) this song at least has been well thought out.